Whether you are new to the city and bursting with big ideas, or trying to fill a specific niche in your theatrical community, starting your own company can be a good way to make your mark. Let us help lay a great foundation for your fledgling dream by crafting the best structure and orientation for your young company, getting your financial and legal ducks in a row, and launching you towards your goals with a dynamic strategic plan.
Together we have founded and managed multiple LLCs and Non-Profits, and have learned--the hard way!--the pitfalls and best practices of launching an organization. You don't have to start from scratch. We can help you navigate the overwhelming field of how-to websites and start-up guides, agencies and departments. Whether it's a new structure, a strategic plan, or your next set of artistic goals, let FORGE help your company find its footing.
With a new idea on the table and a show to put up, who wants to think about permits, unions and budgeting? Still, good producing and general management can often make or break a company or production, and sometimes gets overlooked. Let us keep your i's dotted and your t's crossed!
Having a killer cast and staff is essential to the perfect production, whether it's the perfectly diverse cast or an amazingly qualified fight director, we can set you up with a complete crew. With casting experience from The Public Theater and Telsey Casting, allow us to populate your stage with the ideal humans. We also have relationships with many established artists in the city, so whether you need that special designer or or a great SM, we've got you covered.
If you've got questions or want to discuss your company's goals and challenges, contact us here!
Producing a show is a lot of work, and while you're busy staging the perfect balcony scene or rehearsing that big closing number, let us handle the other bits and pieces that may not be in your wheelhouse. We can find you the perfect cast, buttress your concept and storytelling with in-depth dramaturgy, help you build a budget, or round out your design and production team. Whatever pieces you feel like you're currently missing, you can find them at FORGE.
With a new idea on the table and a show to put up, who wants to think about permits, unions and budgeting? Still, good producing and general management can often make or break a company or production, and sometimes gets overlooked. Let us keep your i's dotted and your t' crossed!
There's nothing as exhilarating as a great idea, and almost nothing as frustrating as meeting the many pitfalls between your idea and reality. Whether it's finding the right structure for your story, helping you develop a character or idea, or figuring out just why Twelfth Night feels like the jazz age to you, we are happy to read, listen, ask questions, and--when you're ready--assemble the team to help you realize your inspiration.
Designing your perfect cast can often be a challenging undertaking. Let us help you see diverse options, meet new faces, and explore bold possibilities in friendly and fun casting rooms, tailored to your production team's style. From posting to offer letter, let us build you your ensemble!
Making the best match between directors and projects is not always easy, and bad chemistry can be deadly for a production. Let us help you envision your project for the stage and make sure it's matched with a director who can engage it deftly and passionately.
Having a killer cast and staff is essential to the perfect production, whether it's the perfectly diverse cast or an amazingly qualified fight director, we can set you up with a complete crew. With casting experience from The Public Theater and Telsey Casting, allow us to populate your stage with the ideal humans. We also have relationships with many established artists in the city, so whether you need that special designer or or a great SM, we've got you covered.
Mounting a production while staying true to your vision is hard enough without having the time to research everything you'd like to about the play. Let us provide in-depth historical and intellectual context for your project to enrich your work, and give you second pair of eyes with the structural know-how to keep your storytelling on track in rehearsal and performance.
If you've got questions or want to discuss the next step for your show, contact us here!
Feeling rusty? Need to flex your artistic muscles outside of the audition/production grind? Want a safe space to work on your own process, or consider the next step in your career? With over 20 years of experience in all aspects of theater, we offer customized one-on-one sessions for actors, directors, writers, managers, and anyone looking to improve on their craft. Whether it's a one-off rap session or a longer-term development coaching, we are game to help you discover or excel at your passion!
Need to stay sharp in between auditions or having trouble with a particularly thorny scene? We can help you keep your work fresh and vital, break down blocks and bad habits, and parse out tricky texts. Whether you're prepping for an audition or hoping to train long-term, we can build the coaching program that's right for you!
Having trouble figuring out a scene, or running into the same problems again and again with your cast or your team? Directing is often lonely work, but we are happy to back you up! Let us help you parse a play, rethink a scene, or work through kinks you may find in your process. Whatever you feel is holding you or your work back, we can help you take the next step forward.
Looking to move into education, or support your acting work with classroom projects? We can train you in our Educational programs and provide you with portable skills that you can take into any classroom!
With a new idea on the table and a show to put up, who wants to think about permits, unions and budgeting? Still, good producing and general management can often make or break a company or production, and sometimes gets overlooked. Let us teach you how to keep your i's dotted and your t's crossed!
If you've got questions or want to discuss how to develop your own skills, contact us here!
Got a fresh idea but don't know how to turn into a story? Have a great few pages but no one to read it with? Got a solid draft that you just can't seem to get it through the door? Whether it's a dramaturgical consultation to help organize your ideas, bringing people together for a reading, or getting your play into production, we can provide the resources, contacts, and know-how to help your project take the next step from page to stage.
There's nothing as exhilarating as a great idea, and almost nothing as frustrating as meeting the many pitfalls between your idea and reality. Whether it's finding the right structure for your story, helping you develop a character or idea, or figuring out just why Twelfth Night feels like the jazz age to you, we are happy to read, listen, ask questions, and--when you're ready--assemble the team to help you realize your inspiration.
Making the best match between directors and projects is not always easy, and bad chemistry can be deadly for a production. Let us help you envision your project for the stage and make sure it's matched with a director who can engage it deftly and passionately.
Having a killer cast and staff is essential to the perfect production, whether it's the perfectly diverse cast or an amazingly qualified fight director, we can set you up with a complete crew. With casting experience from The Public Theater and Telsey Casting, allow us to populate your stage with the ideal humans. We also have relationships with many established artists in the city, so whether you need that special designer or or a great SM, we've got you covered.
If you've got questions or want to discuss the next step on your play, contact us here!
Got an exciting audition coming up and don't know where to start? We can help! Whether it's choosing the perfect piece for that big day, coaching your monologue or callback scene, or capturing a winning take on camera to send in for the next binge-watch breakout hit, we've got you covered.
We can help you keep your work fresh and vital, break down blocks and bad habits, and parse out tricky texts. Let us whip your monologue into tip-top shape for your audition, and get you in the right headspace to make a great impression.
We have in house, a Canon 7D, Tripod, Lights and backdrop, perfect for any on camera audition! Whether you're prepping with us or just need the right space and equipment for a few clean takes, we're happy to help you look your best!
If you've got questions or want to set up a prep or recording session, contact us here!
Want some actors to bring Shakespeare to life for your English class? Looking for a repertoire of in-class activities to enliven your curriculum? Hoping to build your skills as a Teaching Artist? We have a range of Educational and Teaching Artist programs ready to bring to your school, and are happy to custom-build classroom presentations around your curriculum. If you're a teacher looking for artists, or an artist looking for classrooms, we can help!
Whether it's a scene or activity for your english class, coaching sessions for student actors, professional development for teachers, or a day of dramatic programming for the whole school, we can meet you where you are and help enliven your curriculum. We have a number of pre-planned exercises and activities, and would be happy to custom-build a program for your school.
Looking to move into education, or support your acting work with classroom projects? We can train you in our Educational programs and provide you with portable skills that you can take into any classroom.
If you've got questions or want to discuss FORGE's educational opportunities, contact us here!
FORGE (v.) To pioneer new pathways for American storytellers. To temper new dreams and whet the old. To craft the fictions which confront us with the truth.
FORGE is a new breed of theater company, founded with the aim of advancing independent artists and small organizations in the early stages of project development, as well as showcasing works that we have helped to realize. FORGE is first and foremost a support organization dedicated to helping artists and companies take the next step in their own work.
As a Co-Founder of FORGE, Chie Morita (chie@forgenyc.org) seeks creative solutions to everyday debacles. Most recently, Chie served as the Managing Director of the 3-time-Drama-Desk-Nominated New York Neo-Futurists and is currently General Managing their January 2017 Prime Time production, The Great American Drama. She is also a proud board member for The Musical Theater Factory. In New York, Chie has worked with Broadway Producer Joey Parnes (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, End of the Rainbow), the Off-Broadway institutions The Public Theater and Ars Nova, and such independent artists and ensembles as Heather Christian and the Arbornauts, Extant Arts Company, UglyRhino, Panicked Productions, Fresh Ground Pepper, and art.party.theater.company. She has cast films for Sal Bardo, Emilie McDonald, Sarah Jenkins and Ashley Alexander. flavoredphotography.com
Greg Taubman (greg@forgenyc.org) , Co-Founder of FORGE, helps stories find their form and storytellers hone their craft. As a freelance director, dramaturg, and educator, Greg has worked with regional and national institutions including the Public Theater, Classic Stage Company, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and The Shakespeare Society. He has served as Founding Artistic Director of Extant Arts Company and Associate Artistic Director of Outside the Wire. Greg has taught, directed, and learned from students at Stanford, Columbia, and LIU Post. He holds a BA in Classics from Princeton and MFA in Directing from Columbia where he studied with Anne Bogart and Andre Serban. Projects in development include Farewell, King for FORGE and his book Such Stuff: The Essential Value of Art & Dreams.
FORGE FUEL is a monthly opportunity for writers of all kinds to escape the rhythms of city life and spend a weekend focused on their projects inside a quiet country farmhouse in a pastoral corner of Connecticut. Amid the company of like-minded creators, the cozy surroundings, and the comfort of home-cooked meals (all curated by the FORGE team), FORGE FUEL provides the ideal conditions for lighting a fire under your creative spark. Click here to learn more about FORGE FUEL. To apply to join our roster, fill out the information here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Greg and I met weekly for almost a year to dissect complex texts, most notably, those of Brian Friel. My work has undoubtedly grown from this training, and getting the hard questions we have to ask ourselves as directors. If you're wanting for more, Greg is your man. -Miles Mandwelle, Director
Directing for the high school students at Northstar reconnected me to the power of theatre and Shakespeare's plays. One of the students commented after one of our scenes from Othello that he'd 'never understood why people stay in abusive relationships before,' but now he could empathize. Remembering that art can convey the depths and intensity we hope for was a great gift, and I wouldn't have had that experience without FORGE. -Emily Lyon, Director
FORGE has served me very well in auditioning. Their taping services are quick, professional, and flexible, and the coaching is specific, intelligent and intuitive. I don’t think I would have gotten any of the roles I have secured in my time in New York without them. -Miles Duffield, Actor
Shakespeare Day was a mesmerizing and deeply meaningful experience for our students. I've spent the last 11 years reading adolescents' expressions and posture for signs of engagement or boredom, and I've rarely seen students as lost in the moment as they were with FORGE all morning. I think you picked up on this, but many of them saw your cast as both celebrities and role models. One sophomore in particular, Rasheema, was so bashful about speaking with you guys after the show that her friend Chrisllin had to drag her up to the stage -- it was like she was about to meet Justin Beiber or Beyonce! - Michael Taubman, English Teacher
Chie's extensive knowledge of the New York theatre scene and her casting expertise helped to form a strong ensemble. Her calm certainty and supportive trust helped keep the whole team grounded when the odds seemed against us. -Wiley Basho Gorn, Director
Working with Greg Taubman really took my scenework to a new level. His coaching with me on Romeo was eye opening and invigorating. Working with him on Antigone was one of the most educational rehearsal processes of my professional life! -Brandon Tyler Harris, Actor
Working with Greg provided me with the skill set and vocabulary to remain in control when heightened emtion comes into play. Working one on one was the attention and focus that I needed to integrate into my performance. Greg brought me back to basics and through breath and taught me to ride the wave of my emotions instead of being controlled and overtaken by them. I'm forever grateful for the polished skill set and personal practice. -Amanda Tudor, Actor
If you're looking for one on one coaching, Greg Taubman is fantastic to work with. One on one coaching is tough because of the level of trust you need, both ways, I think and there is no one I trust more. -Paulo Quiros, Actor
FORGE's expertise makes me feel like my work as an artist will be protected and supported, even as our organization grows and changes. I highly recommend them to any artist or group looking for a better way to organize their efforts." - Brittany Parker, The Barn Arts Collective
When Greg and Chie came on board they quickly made themselves indispensable within the company. Offering a practical approach to casting and dramaturgy, my co-producer and I felt immediately comfortable with their approach, at once easy-going and pragmatic. They are collaborative, and I recommend them highly! - Miles Mandwelle, Taksu Theater
FORGE has been an incredible resource for our growing organization as we move towards non-profit status. Greg and Chie have informed answers to all of our questions from their years of experience working with arts organizations, and their passion for helping artists succeed is clear and infectious." - Brittany Parker, The Barn Arts Collective
I was fortunate enough to be invited to Northstar academy by Forge last year. It is rare to be given the opportunity to really communicate with your audience. The forum set up by FORGE and the talented educators at Northstar gave performers and audience members a chance to collaborate. I am proud to say I came away with as much as I gave to each class, as the students asked challenging questions and held us up to our highest level of performance with their keen observations. It was a joy to work with forge to develop this curriculum. -Kirsten Benjamin, Actor
Greg never let us off the hook of serving the story. He works with a wise and steady patience, always guiding never forcing. He provided very helpful insight into a production of As You Like It that I directed in Seattle, WA. Distance and time zones didn't matter in the slightest. He read my cut of the script and, even though he was in rehearsals for another play, found the time for a lengthy Skype conversation that greatly influenced my work. -Wiley Basho Gorn, Director
I had the great pleasure of working with FORGE on a production of The Tempest in Brooklyn in the spring of 2015 and the show flourished greatly because of it. Dramaturgically, Greg never let us off the hook of serving the story. He works with a wise and steady patience, always guiding never forcing. -Wiley Basho Gorn, Director
